With lots of help, Stewart’s doing fine on his own
Tony Gibson liked his job. Last year, Gibson was the crew chief for the No. 8 US Army Chevrolet, copiloted by Mark Martin and Aric Almirola. Before arriving at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Gibson was the car chief for Jeff Gordon, and filled the same position for Alan Kulwicki.
But last season, while the foundation at DEI continued to crack, Gibson wondered whether he might be better off with another employer.
“Things weren’t going so good at DEI,’’ said Gibson. “Those people were really good to me. They were great. I had a great seven years over there.
“But all good things come to an end. Things were just falling apart.’’
Salvation came last October at Talladega Superspeedway. Tony Stewart, the two-time Sprint Cup champion, had announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 20
A month earlier, Stewart had hired Darian Grubb away from Hendrick Motorsports to serve as his crew chief. Now, Stewart wanted a crew chief for Newman.
He called in Gibson for a meeting and made his pitch.
“It was him and Newman in there,’’ Gibson said. “Just to hear the passion in Tony Stewart’s voice. His main goal was to make sure Ryan runs good. He said he’d be more ecstatic if Ryan won than if he was to win. Just the determination in his voice and attitude, making sure we’d have everything we needed to make sure things go well. After I left his bus in Talladega, that’s when I knew that’s what I wanted to do. He was the guy I wanted to work for.’’
In 2008, Haas CNC Racing fielded the No. 66 of Scott Riggs and the No. 70 of Jeremy Mayfield. The No. 66 finished in 30th place; the No. 70 finished in 43d place. Neither team won a race.
On Sunday, Stewart will enter the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway atop the Cup field, 84 points ahead of Gordon. Newman is in sixth place, 318 points behind Stewart. Both drivers have won twice at Loudon. By taking over the two-car team, Stewart brought an elusive element to his employees: hope.
“They were beat mentally a lot of times before they even got to the track,’’ said director of competition Bobby Hutchens, in his first year with Stewart-Haas after serving Richard Childress Racing for two decades. “Hopefully, we’ve put that 180 degrees out of their minds.’’
“When the season started, I thought we needed to check Tony into a mental hospital and ask him why he was trying to be a car owner,’’ said Jimmie Johnson.
Stewart had done his homework. Before committing to ownership, Stewart grasped four principles that would ease his challenge: Buy into an existing team instead of launching one; partner with a strong organization; hire the right people; and establish the culture immediately.
First, Stewart targeted Haas CNC, its facility in Kannapolis, N.C., and its employee base. Although the team hadn’t experienced success, it had the infrastructure in place, such as an engineering department and fabrication shop.
“Where our situation is different than other driver-owner combinations is that we didn’t have to start from scratch,’’ Stewart said. “We had the facility there. The equipment was there. Tools. It was just a matter of tailoring some people to find the right people for key positions. That made it less scary. If we had to start from scratch and do our own motor program and chassis program, I never would have done this. It would have been way too much of a challenge for me. I couldn’t have done it right. Guys like Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip, true driver-owners who built their programs from scratch, those guys are a lot more impressive than I am. I couldn’t have done that.’’
Second, Stewart then continued Haas CNC’s partnership with Hendrick. The Chevrolet powerhouse supplies Stewart-Haas with chassis and engines. Grubb was familiar with the Hendrick equipment, but Stewart (Gibbs), Newman (Penske), Gibson (DEI), and Hutchens (Childress) had to adapt to new stuff. Last winter, when just about every other team had already built some of its 2009 cars, Stewart-Haas didn’t have a single ride ready for this season.
“When we first went in, we cut all the bodies off the cars and the front clips off them,’’ Hutchens recalled. “By Dec. 1, we had no cars sitting in our race shop. That was a little nerve-racking for a month or so until we got cars on the floor.’’
Third, Stewart hit on his big-time hires. He attracted Newman, a fellow Hoosier. On the suggestion of team owner Rick Hendrick, Stewart signed Grubb. Stewart landed Hutchens to oversee both teams. He brought in Gibson, a fishing and hunting enthusiast - just like his driver. He kept Matt Borland, Newman’s former crew chief, to serve as technical director.
“We had a few guys that moved over and a few guys that were original Haas CNC employees,’’ said Grubb. “With the downsizing of the market and the economy, there were a lot of people out there looking for work. So it was actually a really good time for us to handpick a couple key people to bring in. We’ve done a really good job of picking a lot of those people, and we’ve put together a pretty strong team.’’
Finally, Stewart wasted no time sending the message. They would work hard, but they would also have fun. If they needed anything, they would have it. And the boss would not be an absentee owner. Stewart visits the shop every week to pump up his employees.
“You go there and just spend time with your guys,’’ Stewart said. “I know that everybody is doing what they’re supposed to be doing. I really don’t have to worry about it. It’s been nice from that standpoint to be able to go there and not have to walk around as an owner and check on everything. I’m walking through there as a driver and thanking those guys for their hard work.’’
“I lost confidence in the ability to drive the car fast because the car wasn’t fast enough,’’ Newman said of his last year in the No. 12
This season, with Gibson calling the shots, Newman has been one of the circuit’s stronger drivers. In a six-week stretch, the No. 39 posted five top-five finishes.
“We all hoped to succeed,’’ Newman said. “We felt we had the tools and people to be able to do that. Everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has done a very good job. The support from Hendrick Motorsports has been a feather in our cap as well. I’m just happy to be in the position that I’m in. We’ve done a lot of good things as far as making the team better. We’ve progressed throughout the season. It’s nice to see that progression and be a part of it.’’
The No. 14 car has been even stouter. On June 6, Stewart wrecked his primary car during practice a day before the Pocono 500 and started the race at the end of the field. Because of the work the team had completed earlier, the backup was just as strong as Stewart’s first ride. By clicking through four-tire stops and making up time on pit road, Stewart blazed through traffic and claimed the checkered. It was the first win by an owner-driver since Ricky Rudd turned the trick in 1998.
Last Sunday, Stewart finished second to Kasey Kahne in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. The No. 14 has posted eight top-five finishes in 16 races. Stewart is the first owner-driver to lead in points since Kulwicki, the driver Gibson once served, turned the trick in 1992.
“Things are more upbeat right now because we’re running good and winning,’’ said engineer Jonathan Toney, a Haas CNC holdover. “We always worked hard and did a lot of the same things. We just didn’t have the success we have right now. All the guys are just pumped up when they go to work now. Before, they weren’t as ambitious as they are now. It’s just something that when you win a lot and run good, then knowing when you go through the gates in the morning that you’ve got a shot at winning, it’s a huge part in a guy’s mind.’’
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. 
